CLARK FREEPORT – The Fontana Development Corp. (FDC) has denied any involvement or participation in the alleged illicit health facility recently raided by authorities in one of its villas at the Fontana Leisure Parks.
In a letter addressed to Clark Development Corp. (CDC) president and CEO Noel Manankil on May 23, the FDC said “it does not in any way condone any illegal activity within their leased property.”
The FDC said the villa at 628 Florida Street where the alleged illicit health facility was discovered “has long been transferred as a residential villa to and placed under the exclusive control of Shidaikeji Technology Corporation, a longtime locator of the Clark Freeport Zone.”
FDC Assistant General Manager Simon Wu said, “Fontana has no control over the property or the operations therein. In fact, Fontana casino, junket and hotel operations have long been suspended and Fontana has zero operations at present.”
Wu said the FDC has “absolutely no control over the property or the operations in the Shidaikeji Villa and noted that all of Fontana casino and junket operations in its own properties have long been suspended in compliance with the government-mandated community quarantine.”
He added that, “Fontana has zero operations at present, and we were going to resume our casino operations after the lifting of the community quarantine.”
The FDC revealed that Shidaikeji has been using the villa to attend to their own employees’ needs and that they are not operating as a coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) clinic. It noted that the two foreign individuals who were arrested in the vicinity were released on the same day with no charges filed.
“Fontana fully and wholeheartedly supports the Philippine government in its battle against Covid-19 and in the implementation of any other government program,” said Wu. “Fontana has voluntarily implemented Covid-19 preventive measures since January.”
“Further, our Fontana Convention Center — for which we invested billions of pesos — is currently being used by the government as an isolation and quarantine facility for PUI [patients under investigation. We have allowed the use of said structure as a Covid-19 quarantine facility at absolutely no cost to government immediately upon learning of the urgent need thereof.”
Wu said FDC also granted the free use of the Fontana Convention Center to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) for a time and stressed that it had settled every financial obligation to the government.
“Despite the BCDA’s free use of the property, we have still paid the government continuous lease payments on the land, and have never defaulted in any rental payment or tax payment therefor,” said Wu.
He also clarified the reported 490 persons swabbed last Friday night by the Philippine Red Cross through the Philippine Coast Guard all belong to or work for Shidaikeji.
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